Friday, April 14, 2006

I've been reading the foreign papers here in my hotel room everyday, there is a debate on whether a tax hike is really needed and the govt is taken to task by the opposition not just to explain the hikes but also explain why govt expemditure on other areas cannot be cut to avoid the tax hike. Looks like the govt here can't explain the tax hike well, it will lose some votes in the next elections for sure. Contrast that with the situation in Singapore where the govt was able to hike the GST easily so they could cut income tax of high income earners & big businesses.

I heard that MM Lee had a dialogue with a group of under-30s, now they know why there is okay not to have a level playing field in politics. Yes indeed, linking votes to upgrading is something common in democratic countries. I'm so glad those youngsters had their thoughts corrected by the MM. That reporter Ken who said there was fear was harshly pulverised by the MM, I guess after getting slammed he now understands there is really no fear of voting against the PAP. Of course MM Lee is still very much needed because he is a databank.....he hold all the questions and standard answers in his head.

Looks like the elections will be called soon.....I better be mentally prepared. I have to strengthen my thoughts in case those pesky Opposition fellers turn up at my hawker center to spread their viral thoughts and their dangerous timebombs.

As I eat my room service dinner, I have pondered on the compelling reasons not to vote for the opposition:

1. No need for external check and balance in our system by the opposition.We can depend on internal checks in the govt. Of course these checks are adequate, so adequate that we can be confident that whenever something that looks like a mistake appears - Suzhou, Micropolis, Shin Corp, ...etc it is probably an honest mistake that is identified by hindsight. One can always count on our media to provide the check and balance.

2. No need to have alternative views. Why let alternatives confuse you? When you have the type of admin service with highly qualified scholars everything is taken care off. Of course issues like Low Thia Kiang raised in parliament about Singaporeans not being able to get a hospital bed in public hospitals because of too many foreign workers .....would have been raised by PAP MPs if Low did not raised it.

3. Trust the PAP to take care of your interest. Although the PAP MPs are mostly full time directors, GMs and doctors, they will have time to make sure your interests are best taken care of. You may worry that they are too busy to raise important issues because they are men and women of highest calibre, they can handle a competitive career and take care of your interest at the same time. The highly connected members of elite who run our GLCs and large corporations will always put the interest of ordinary Singaporeans above everything else. Take the FT policy....the purpose of the foreign talent policy is to create jobs for Singaporeans.

4. We should maintain the status quo. Why risk it? Even as nations around us transform politically, we can rely on our old formulas and proven track records to beat them. As democracy energise the populace in Thailand and Hong Kong providing the thrust for the people to actively shape their own future, we have the luxury to sitting back and relaxing because the PAP will shape our future for us.

5. The Opposition has nothing to offer. Yes, the Worker's Party has released its manifesto but the PAP has already told us that it contains dangerous timebombs. ...so lets not allow our minds be influenced by such dangerous thoughts. The PAP can offer upgrading...the Opposition cannot.

6. There is no need for transparency in govt. In other countries they go so far as to have a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act), however, this is not desirable in Singapore. Why? Our govt organisations are so smart, efficient and innovation, they are better off to keeping information secret so that competitors cannot copy us. I'm surprise that even security agencies like FBI are transparent. This shows how advanced our govt bodies are, they simply cannot afford to have others copy their brilliant ideas. It is important not to have opposition in parliament to pressure them to release information.

7. Competition cannot enhance efficiency. Because the PAP has an advanced elite selection system to pick new MPs, there is no need for competition to motivate them to improve. In Potong Pasir, the existence of opposition has resulted in $1 sharkfin soup and offers of massive upgrading, the PAP is doing all this out of kindness and not because of competition against the opposition.

Remember when you meet the Opposition members in the hawker center, they can bring up issues of high cost of living, govt over-spending on glamour buildings (Durian, Ministry of home affairs building..etc), lack of transparency in the handling of reserves....etc. You look them in the eye and tell them, you are not interested in those issues, all you want is upgrading and the PAP to rule over you forever.

6 comments:

PAP MP Davinder Singh is stepping down after 18 years in parliament and 4 election walkovers (i stand to be corrected).

WHat is the seasoned politician's reason for voluntarily resigning after so long? Give way for renewal? Nope. Too busy with his successful legal practice. 'My primary difficulty was in juggling my time between Parliament and court work,' he said.

That explains why he only made 3 speeches in parliament from 2002-2006. In contrast, Steve Chia questioned 511 times over the same period. See http://yawningbread.org/arch_2006/yax-571.htm

PAP will react by saying the Electoral Boundaries Commission is 100% neutral.

PAP is only very lucky when the boundaries are redrawn to help the PAP cope with the retirement plans of PAP MPs in single member constituencies.

But when it comes to helping the Opposition redraw boundaries to help them contest a GRC, sorry, depends on your LUCK.

Yes, this is just an issue of priority, there is a theoratical chance of the PEC creating a GRC for the Opposition, u can wait patiently in a queue for it, but the Opposition is just too damn unlucky to get anything it wants. Lift upgrading anyone?

with regards to the reporter's comment on the atmosphere of fear. i think MM lee had every right to put that statemetn to him. in front of a national audience, you put forward an opinion which you cannot justify and presnet it as a statement of fact. be fair, i think MM lee had every right to correct that and offer his own correction. let's not be blinded by our prejudices and mask everything.

MM Lee wrongly accused the reporter of misrepresentation by using the narrowest of interpretation imposed on him. The reporter was merely posing him the question framed against the backdrop of the ST poll in which he and his fellow reporters took to the ground and poll Singaporeans.

There's No prejudices by objective television viewers. Perhaps you might want to re-watch the telecast on google video to clear up any doubt.

MM Lee used all his experience and seniority to examine (unfairly if i may say so here)him by rebutting him and misrepresenting his actual question.